Improve Your Dialogue with Mysti Berry

Mysti Berry earned a BA in Linguistics from one of the top five undergrad programs in the country (UCSC), and “half an MFA” from UCLA. She has had short stories published in multiple anthologies, including EQMM and AHMM, and published three volumes of a charity anthology that raises money for voting rights. She’s working on a novel set in 1938 Hilo, Hawaii, a time and place of many different languages and voices.

Many people think that dialog is a skill you’re either born with or you’ll never be good at. I’m here to tell you there are LOTS of things you can do to improve your dialog regardless of any genetic predispositions. I’ve coached a few folks, including a USA Today bestselling author, based on what I learned from Linguistics and screenwriting. I’ll share some basic tools that you can apply to your own dialog to make it reveal character AND move the plot forward. We might even try an exercise if there’s time!